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Mundy Wildflower Garden

This spot, which is just a short walk from
Comstock Knoll, has traditionally been one of the best places in the Ithaca
area to see migrant songbirds, especially warblers. More than twenty species
of warblers have been sighted here, including a rare Kentucky
Warbler in May 1999. A short walk here in early May can quickly turn
into a long outing, as a colorful assortment of Neotropical migrants--Scarlet
Tanager, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak,
Baltimore Oriole, vireos (including a White-eyed
Vireo in May 2004), thrushes, flycatchers, and all the warblers--can
keep birders busy for quite some time. Some of these species, such as
Baltimore Oriole, Great
Crested Flycatcher, and Warbling
Vireo, will remain at Mundy to breed, joining resident species like
Red-bellied
Woodpecker and Carolina
Wren. During the spring and summer months, check along Fall Creek
for Northern
Rough-winged Swallow and other swallows, as well as Great
Blue Heron, Common
Merganser, and Spotted
Sandpiper. Finally, the wildflower garden is also home to the famous
Mundy Eastern
Screech-Owl. To find this sometimes-elusive bird, look first for the
two sycamore trees (pictured at right) located along a small pond and
position yourself in the same spot as the photographer of the picture.
Then scan the cavities of the left tree. A bird is not always present,
but on sunny spring days, there is a decent chance that as you check these
holes, the face of a screech-owl will be filling one of them.

Home of the famous Mundy Screech-Owl.

To reach Mundy Wildflower Garden:

From the Comstock Knoll and the Plantations Headquarters, cross Judd
Falls Road and follow a trail up a grassy incline. Take a series of stairs
completely down the hillside into the wildflower garden, and then explore
the various trails between the hillside and Fall Creek.